Ahrweiler-Bad Neuenahr Day 3

Ahrweiler-Bad Neuenahr (1 June 08)

We checked out of the hotel after breakfast on Sunday morning to begin our drive back to the Hague. It was a challenge trying to pack our goods and luggages into the car boot with all the extras that we had purchased i.e. mainly wine and foodstuff.

Since we did'nt really have a proper look at other villages along the wine trail yesterday, we decided to drive there again for some sight-seeing before heading back. The distance from Bad Neuenahr to the Altenahr village on the west end of the trail is around 15 km. In between, there are villages like Walporzheim, Marienthal, Dernau and Mayshob.


****Rooppert waiting to be loaded into the car


****Roelof saying good-bye

All along the way, one could see picturesque views of vines growing on the terraced hills which were progressively steeper towards the west. Harvesting is mainly done manually hence the more expensive price of the red wines. It is thought that red wines were already cultivated in the Ahr valley since the roman times.

The highly popular Spatburgender (late Burgundy) Pinot Noir grapes were brought over from Burgundy in the late 17th century and accounts for more than 50% of the variety grown now. Due to the limited production and high local demand, the Ahr red wines are almost never seen on the export market.

****terraced vineyards along the red wine trail

****no grapes yet..

Upon reaching Altenahr, we decided to take a walk through the town since it seemed very lively on a Sunday morning. The sun was bright and shining, and there was a carnival-like atmosphere on the streets with barbeques, foodstalls and some shops open.

****Altenahr village on a Sunday morning


****a friendly couple selling grilled meats and sausages outside their store

****yum... veal sausages

****the 'Are' castle which provides a dramatic backdrop to the pretty village

After spending about an hour in Altenahr browsing through some shops and tasting a sausage or two, we decided to stop by Dernau for lunch on the way back. It was very quiet in Dernau except for the restaurants. My German colleague had recommended the Hofgarten restaurant which was not difficult to find due to the fairly prominent location on a hill slope and cars parked around it.

****entrance to the Hofgarten restaurant in Dernau

The Hofgarten wine bar and restaurant is famous for its wines and cuisine. The restaurant has been in the same family for more than 200 years, and is a complementary business to their vineyards and award winning red wines. It did not look that large from the outside but once we stepped in, we were surprised to see how spacious it is with several large dining halls including an outdoor courtyard. There were a lot of people there already particularly in the courtyard area.

The garden-like ambience and decorations were quite unique and charming. Even the chandeliers looked 'organic' with real flowers in glass/ crystal bubbles. The waitress told us that the decorations are changed every season.

****the dining hall where we were seated. Flowers everywhere - vases, chandeliers and tables
We had a huge rectangular table (i think it can easily accomodate 12 people) at the back of the dining hall. The space was certainly a luxury, and it almost felt like a private dining area. We had a beautiful flower chandelier right above the table.

****flower and glass chandelier

The restaurant has several signature dishes and for lunch, the schnitzel dish was very popular and reasonably priced. We decided to go for that and also try several glasses of their house reds. The wines were more expensive than usual, but that's to be expected due to its more premium quality. We were not disappointed with either the schnitzel or wines. My friend remarked that this was probably the best lunch that she had for this trip.

The pork snitzel was coated with crumbs and i think some milk and butter products - it was thin and flaky and melted in your mouth. The meat seemed to have been marinated and tasted almost like chicken. Even the potatos were very good, crispy on the outside and not very salty. The vinegar, parsley and lemon slices added some exotic flavour to the dish.


****the signature schnitzel dish at Hofgarten

I also tried their house dessert which was pumpkin seed ice-cream with plums and cream. It was very delicious as well. Even the slices of butter cakes that were served with coffee tasted very good and my friend ordered several slices for takeaway. We also bought several bottles of their red wines.

We left Dernau at around 3pm and reached the Hague at around 6.30pm. The drive back was very smooth with no traffic jams. It was a lovely trip and just nice for an extended weekend. We're already thinking of returning to the area in autumn during the harvesting season.

Ahrweiler-Bad Neuenahr Day 2

Ahrweiler-Bad Neuenahr (31 May 08)

The next morning after breakfast, we decided to take a walk to the Ahrweiler old town which is around 3 km to the west of Bad-Neuenahr.

It was a very lovely walk to Ahrweiler and reinforces the impression of the place as a wellness and resort town for the retired rich. Everything was at an unhurried pace and people were either cycling, jogging, strolling or walking their dogs. The weather was very cool and balmy, perfect for the long walk.

****the slow zone areas

****3km to Ahrweiler

****scenic parks and river views along the walk

****the vineyards covering the hill slopes


****nearing Ahrweiler - the tower gate at the entrance of the old town
Ahrweiler is a very pretty and lively medieval town surrounded by ancient walls from the roman times. Most of the old half-timbered buildings are still intact and there are lots of shops, butcheries, bakeries, wine taverns and restaurants in the town.

We took some time to explore the place and got side-tracked for a while into a shop selling made-in-italy handbags at reasonable prices. Bought a mock-ostrich leather bag while my friend bought 2 leather sling bags and a leather pencil case.

****Ahrweiler pedestrian streets

Lunch hours are fairly strictly observed over here so at around 12.30pm, the streets seemed much less crowded compared to the morning. We peeped into a few restaurants - those that seemed promising were packed with people. We ended up at the Alt-Ahrweiler Restaurant near the market place. Luckily there was still a table left at the back of the restaurant.

I had a schnitzel 'jager' - breaded pork chops served with mushroom gravy and french fries. It was very tasty and the mushroom gravy went well with the fries. As with other meals, we also sampled the house red wines.

****Schnitzel ' jager' at Alt-Ahrweiler Restaurant

After lunch, we spent another half an hour in the town before taking the tourist train back to Bad-Neuenahr.

****the tourist train from the Ahrweiler market place to Steigenberger hotel in Bad-Neuenahr

We still had some time in the afternoon to do some sight-seeing and so decided to take a drive along the Ahr river to visit nearby wine towns like Dernau and Alternahr. After all the morning walks and heavy lunch, we ended up feeling too lethargic to do any more sight-seeing on foot particularly on a warm and sunny afternoon. So after doing some rounds in the car, we headed back to Bad Neuenahr. Just on the outskirts of the town, we saw a large supermarket 'Rewe' and decided to do some shopping. There was a good variety of products and foodstuff on sale and the prices were much cheaper than the supermarket in town.

After resting at the hotel, it was time again for another important decision of the day - where to go for dinner. We decided to checkout the Ascona restaurant which was recommended by Roelof and the friendly owner of a nearby pattiserie. The restaurant is in town near the riverbank, so just an easy 7-8 mins stroll away.


****Restaurant Ascona Bad Neuenahr

The daily set menus were reasonable priced compared to the prices in the Hague. I think it's generally cheaper to dine out in Germany than Holland. I opted for the duck menu with beef soup starter and pumpkin pie desert.

The soup was ok, a little bit salty and thin. The duck in orange sauce was very tender and medium-well cooked. The skin was nice and crispy and the portions were quite generous.


****beef bouillon soup

****duck in orange sauce with brocolli and almond flakes

Overall the service at the Ascona restaurant was excellent and the ambience very elegant. The cuisine was not exactly typical German but rather modern French-German fusion. It was a change from the traditional taverns and restaurants that we had visited so far.

After dinner we decided to take a walk to the Kurpark. It's a compact and lovely park with a large opera/concert hall. Apparently it also functions as a social place for the elderly with dances held there several times a week. It's also a rare park that does not allow pets and an entrance fee is required during the day.


****strolling in the Kurpark

**** the concert hall and restaurant in the Kurpark

****the casino adjoining the park